Published September 2002 — Download PDF of the original newspaper column
Byrd's-Eye View By U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd West Virginians' Voice in the Iraq Debate
In the coming days, Congress, the Bush Administration, and the entire nation will engage in the debate surrounding whether to commit American military forces to battle against Iraq. For a Member of Congress, there is no discussion more somber, no decision more critical as the decision whether to send the nation's sons and daughters to war. It is a decision which should never be left solely to an elite few in Washington. This decision should be studied and discussed by all Americans. Every West Virginian should play a role in the national debate concerning whether our country should launch an unprovoked attack on Iraq. Consider the crucial questions. Does Saddam Hussein pose an imminent threat to the United States? Should the United States act alone? Should Congress grant the President authority to launch a preemptive attack on Iraq? What would be the repercussions around the globe? These and other questions are not simple to answer. Without a solid foundation of knowledge upon which to analyze the serious issues involved, Americans will be buffeted this way and that way by spin doctors, by politicians seeking to follow the latest opinion polls, and by talk shows which often have an editorial agenda. Americans should arm themselves with information so that they can cut through the fog, discern the truth, and recognize attempts at manipulation. The American constitutional system of government has an inherent system of checks and balances which the Framers crafted to keep the American people free and to protect our liberties from being arbitrarily swept aside. The power of the purse, which resides with the Legislative Branch, is the ultimate check on an overreaching Executive and a prime guarantor of the people's freedoms. But there is another power which can serve as a check against abuses by overzealous government officials and that is the power of the informed citizenry -- a citizenry that is well equipped to judge truths from falsehoods. An informed citizenry is essential to preserving a republic such as ours. This is a nation "of the people, by the people, and for the people." Never in our history has the role of a knowledgeable people been more important than in these turbulent days. An informed citizenry has to participate, ask questions, and demand answers and accountability. It is up to each American to do what he or she can do to provide the all-important check on power -- the wisdom of the people. September 18, 2002